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Food and Cheer in Reykjavík

With so many food options available, you don’t even need to know where to look to find something tasty to eat in Reykjavík. That being said, I wouldn’t want you to go there and miss eating at these five places…

Breakfast/Second Breakfast

The first morning Ted and I were there, a local took us to Brauð & Co., which he referred to as, “the best bakery in the world.” I raised my eyebrows a bit at that, but secretly wanted it to live up to the hype. (I am obsessed with bakeries — I once had a friend tell me that she didn’t want to meet me at pastry shops anymore. I hadn’t even realized that I always offered a bakery as a meetup point!)

Even so, as I walked into Brauð & Co., I had no idea what I was getting myself into.

Brauð & Co.

SO MANY PASTRIES

Ted and I ended up eating at Brauð & Co. each and every morning. We consumed a week’s worth of pastries. I tried everything on the menu at least once, if not twice.

And the workers at this bakery are delightful people. They actually go grab the freshest pastries straight off the rack –if they’re available– and give those to you instead of the ones sitting in the window.

Usually I like mixing up my food options when I travel so that I can try a ton of different things. Brauð & Co. is my one exception.

Elevenses/Lunch

Whenever we asked an Icelander what we needed to eat while we were in town, the answer was always: “a hot dog.” There are two major places to eat a hot dog in Reykjavík — several locals told us to go to Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur and avoid Pylsuhúsið at all costs.

Ted and I + hot dogs

Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur

Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur is a red-and-white hot dog cart down by the harbor. My hot dog had lamb on it, among other things. I bit into it and briefly saw God (or so it seemed — I definitely ascended for a brief moment, at least.)

I had a hot dog while I was in Chicago last week and sorry not sorry Chicago, but that hot dog paled in comparison to the Icelandic hot dog. It has no equal as far as I’m concerned.

Lunch/Afternoon Tea

If you’re still hungry after that hot dog…

I previously mentioned the fish and chips at The Drunk Rabbit, but it bears repeating. I’m used to being disappointed by the American version of fish and chips (lots of batter, very little fish, not served with vinegar), so BOY HOWDY was this a nice change of pace. Thin, crisp batter covering gigantic hunks of steaming fish? Count me in!

Dinner/Supper

Sjávargrillið is a good place to go if you’re looking to try some traditional Icelandic dishes. It’s expensive but well worth a visit!

Þrír frakkar is another option. It has more of a local/neighborhood feel to it, and it’s a small restaurant, so I’d recommend snagging a reservation ahead of time.

I ordered a horse fillet (absolutely delicious) and split a helping of whale sashimi with Ted. (We both struggled with the whale because…morals. But curiosity finally won the day. For those curious, whale tastes like red meat and has an oily, guilt-ridden aftertaste.)